>>> plus, could twin suicide bombings in syria be the work of al qaeda? and happy holidays on wall street. holiday shoppers give the struggling economy a boost. >>> good day, i'm luke russert live in washington. the dramatic standoff over the payroll tax cut ended with the we werer shortly after 10:00 this morning when given the chance to object to the senate bill freshman house republicans kept quiet and let it pass. earlier today senate majority leader harry reid couldn't help taking a jab at the conservatives who had led the fight. >> i hope this congress has had a very good learning experience, especially those who are newer to this body. everything we do around here does not have to wind up in a fight. >> nbc's mike joins us from the white house and mike is nbc's political director. mike, give me the state of play. a little bit less to this press, is he going to take a little victory lap before his trip to a way we? >> i think so. he's going to punctuate the events from the week. it started with president obama on the defensive. he appeared in the br